


Seasons, or, the Four Haiku of Zoe Washburne

by musicforswimming



Category: Firefly
Genre: Age Difference, F/F, Post-Serenity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-10-21
Updated: 2005-10-21
Packaged: 2017-10-02 10:57:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicforswimming/pseuds/musicforswimming
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The year after Wash's death is made up of moments. These are four of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seasons, or, the Four Haiku of Zoe Washburne

The sun comes out bright when they do the paying of their respects. Don't seem right, having lots of sunshine, but there it is, hanging bright and clear and hot in the sky, over a bunch of dry earth where her man is buried, and something about it ain't right.

Of course, it ain't like the weather ever gives a man some sort of a break. Preacher'd likely say it's not God's job to give a man -- or woman -- what's appropriate, let alone what he -- or she -- wants. Preacher's body's been stripped of its skin to get 'em through Reaver territory, and lyin' beside her man now. Ain't really in much of a position to do much saying of anything.

"You think she'll be all right, Zoe?" Captain asks her in the mess one evening, hot and dry, his hand landing briefly on her shoulder. "Ship, I mean; she got pretty banged up." And Zoe only looks, and says that she'll hold together, and goes to get herself another drink.  
   
   
   
   
Next job they run, she needs a jacket. Usually brings a jacket anyhow, to keep things covered, and because bulking up makes you look just a little bit scarier, but it's chilly here. Leaves on the trees shiver like they're took with fever. "They're scared," River says, "but mostly cold."

Girl's taken to staring at Zoe more these days. Since she started flying with the Captain. For the Captain, mostly, even. Earns her keep as pilot, and does a share of fighting, too. But she seems to like the flying, and she don't mind when Zoe comes in to stare at the console and its empty chair. Though it means Zoe has to put up with her staring at Zoe.

"I do miss you, baby," Zoe whispers one evening, on the bridge, to the chair she thinks is empty. Until she adds, quietly, "Oh, god," and then she realizes that Wash's chair ain't empty, because there also comes a quiet girl's voice, and she asks whose colors God is flying.  
   
   
   
   
"You hurt," River tries to explain one evening, when everything's dark and somehow it just seems colder than normal. "You hurt, so he hurts, so I hurt. But it doesn't hurt there, in his chair. Makes me smile." And Zoe wonders if it's bad she thinks she understands River's meaning.

Stands on her toes in the bridge, the black and cold and dark floating slowly along past them, and touches Zoe's hair. Zoe lets her, while her hand is on the chair, and then River takes her hand and squeezes it. Kisses it the same places her man always would. Zoe looks at her for a few moments, a few moments in which neither of them says a gorram thing.

Then, suddenly, River turns away and starts explaining some elaborate tale she's spun about the dinosaurs still sitting on the console. Best Zoe can gather, it's an adventure left unfinished, or rendered that way by impalement. In the middle of it, girl looks up, says they never really finish anyway.  
   
   
   
   
River's got blossoms tucked in her hair as she leans against one of the walls, listening. No one asks her for what anymore, but Zoe hears from the mess when Mal asks her if she knows what she's doing. She listens, because she thinks he ain't talking about the ship.

"She talks to me," River says, and then, "just like you do. She hurts, but she's quiet and sturdy and she will fly true for as long as you require it of her." And Mal says stop it, he ain't talkin' about cryptic girl-talk, he's talkin' about... Zoe never finds out, and River might but she doesn't tell, because that's when Zoe calls to them that she's finished making dinner.

River cleans up after. Captain doesn't ask if they know what they're doing again. Maybe because Zoe says that not knowing what he was doing never stopped him, and he says that's as he always had her with him. To which she just says "well, all right then," and smiles.


End file.
